Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. – Isaiah 55:6

The sign advertising for the local casino on the interstate billboard reads, “We Make Winners!”. My friend, if you believe that as country music artist George Strait sings, “I’ve got some Ocean Front Property in Arizona” you might be interested in as well. Casinos can’t afford to make winners for if the did, they wouldn’t stay in business very long. Casinos are carefully and strategically designed to operate in order that the “house”, comes out on top the greatest majority of the time. Sure, there are those and you may very well be one of the so called “lucky” ones that have played the game and came out on top from time to time but my question always remains, at what cost?

There’s another game that many people continue to play on a daily basis and its wager is their very soul. Some give no thought to living their lives apart from God’s gift of salvation and the mercy and grace He offers through Jesus Christ. Or they live with the mentality that I’m going to live my life the way I want to and will give my life to Jesus later on in life after I’ve had my fun and basted in this world’s riches and spoils.

Upon hearing the gospel and knowing their need for Jesus in their life, they continue to delay in making a response. This is the most dangerous type of procrastination I can think of. Life is short my friend, and we do not know what will happen tomorrow. James 4:13 & 14 reads “Come now, you who say,“Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”

Back in 1978, country artist Kenny Rogers had a huge hit titled “The Gambler”. I can still here my dad singing the lyrics from the chorus of that song from many years ago…“You’ve got to know when to hold ’em / Know when to fold ’em / Know when to walk away / And know when to run…”

Similarly my friend, we must also know when to lay down our so called “good hand” that we are sure will see us through to the very end and surrender our all to Christ. No matter how safe and secure we think we are outside of God’s will and His salvation, ultimately we will end up losing it all in the end. My friend, this is the only game in life we cannot afford to lose.

Don’t fall for the enemy’s bluff and allow him to deceive you in the game of life. “…Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2nd Corinthians 6:2)